Page 644 – Electronics-Lab.com

Tracksoar V2 – the smallest, lightest, open source APRS tracker

Posted on 2 July, 20182 July, 2018 by mixos

What is Tracksoar

Tracksoar is one of the smallest, lightest, open source APRS trackers available. It makes tracking weather balloons, model rockets, RC aircraft, and anything else that flies simple and easy. It is able to report location, altitude, temperature pressure and humidity to the internet or direct to an amateur radio once a minute for up to twelve hours with just 2xAA batteries. Because Tracksoar is open source you can add your own modules to accommodate custom sensors, inputs or outputs to meet your specific requirements. Tracksoar can also use a range of drop in transmitters to allow for easy world wide operation. By flying Tracksoar on a weather balloon you can reduce the required helium and balloon costs per launch and it can pay for itself with just 2 launches. No other APRS solution offers this level of integration, compact size, and customization. Additionally all profits from Tracksoar sales go to supporting the Santa Barbara Hackerspace and improving the resources we offer to the community.

Tracksoar V2

To make the Tracksoar V2 even more beginner friendly we’ve done away with the serial jumpers and the programming shield. The new Tracksoar is based on the ATmega32u4, which means built in USB which we make accessible via a micro USB port. Since we freed up the serial port we no longer need to use jumpers to connect and disconnect the serial port for programming, one less sticking point while getting started with the Tracksoar.

Here’s a list of the new features and upgrades in the Tracksoar V2:

USB Micro connector
4 layer board to improve RF performance
Improved battery life
GPS power backup
Removable mounting points
More available GPIO
No programming shield or jumpers required
New and improved firmware

[source: www.tracksoar.com]

I2C Encoder V2 – Connect multiple rotary encoders on the I2C bus

Posted on 29 June, 201829 June, 2018 by mixos

I2C Encoder V2 is a tiny smart board for connecting multiple rotary encoders on the I2C bus and it’s live on kickstarter.

The I2C Encoder V2 supports various type of rotary encoder with one footprint:

Standard mechanical encoder
Illuminated RGB encoder
Clickable rotary encoder
With and without dent

There are also 3 configurable GPIOs that are organized with the same footprint of RGB LED. You can use them as PWM, I/O or ADC.

Last but not least, it has also 256bytes of EEPROM.

I2C Encoder V2 – Connect multiple rotary encoders on the I2C bus – [Link]

Ethernet Relay board

Posted on 29 June, 201829 June, 2018 by mixos

LAN interface with 4 relays, 8 programmable I/Os and 4 analog inputs, IoT-ready.

How many times have you read or heard about the Internet of things (Iot)? The Internet of things is an expression that is becoming more and more popular lately; it represents the expansion of the Internet into the world of objects and physical locations. Thanks to this technology, many objects that used to be exclusively passive, can now become interactive and coordinate between themselves and interact with the user; they become more intelligent and thanks to the Internet connection they allow to share generated data with the user or another board that can also be in another continent. However, in this scenario, the term “intelligence” is often misused. In fact, many times the IoT includes not only electronic devices capable of making autonomous decisions in order to simplify our everyday life, but also the plethora of products that used to be stand-alone. For this reason, all we have to do is equipping our older devices with an Internet connection.

Ethernet Relay board – [Link]

A Wearable Tiny Video Pendant

Posted on 28 June, 201828 June, 2018 by Ayo Ayibiowu

The adoption of Wearables has been on the rise especially with the advent of smartwatches and smart glasses, and a growing interest in augmented and the virtual reality space. Most watches are beginning to have some level of smartness and the everyday smartwatch is becoming cheaper. For example, in the last five months, I have own two sets of smartwatches with a different artistic and feel. The Wearable market is rapidly expanding as one of the fastest-growing tech segment. By enhancing productivity and the ability to interact with staff in real time, 79% of businesses see wearables as crucial to ongoing business success.

Wearables are making a name for themselves not just in business environments, but across industries. Savvy adopters in these industries are making waves and paving the way for improved customer experiences, life-saving technology, and productivity. Despite the fact most wearable technology has seen a lot of adoption in the health industry, it doesn’t end there; new wearables are beginning to port directly into the ever-growing fashion industry.

Makers and product designer have come up with exciting wearable tech that can be used in the fashion line; some famous examples include illuminating a piece of clothes or clothes that gives stop and turn direction for riders. The community of people building electronic wearables is on the rise, and companies like Adafruit are helping to make that habitable for everyone. ðeshipu at Hackaday.io has created a tiny video pendant wearable.

The video pendant is a tiny little wearable pendant that displays images and some animations. According to ðeshipu, he created the tiny video pendant as a result of a request from folks to make jewelry with the ST7735S TFT display. ðeshipu went ahead in creating the jewelry pendant using the 0.9-inch screen, one of the smallest TFT displays you will found around.

Inside the pendant are a Microchip SAMD21 processor, a LIR1220 battery as the primary power source (it’s a rechargeable coin cell battery), and some other few components which all make the device to function correctly. It features a USB socket that lets one charge the device and also helps in uploading the images and a switch for turning on or off the device. The whole devices fit perfectly on a 0.9-inch PCB, the same size as the screen making it easy to conceal the other components.

The device currently supports only static images with potential support for animations through a GIF decoder that ðeshipu has plans to write. A future upgrade of the device might add an accelerometer for waking up (and also for some interactive animations). You can follow the project here since development is still active.

Wearable technology is incorporating into our lifestyle in different ways. The technologists don’t leave the jewelry that women use. They turned it into a more important thing than just an ornament.

7-into-1 Oscilloscope features a 10.1″ touch-color display

Posted on 28 June, 201813 November, 2018 by Ayo Ayibiowu

The Chinese based technology company Rigol Technologies has launched a new high-performance oscilloscope series, the MSO/DS7000 Oscilloscopes. This new series incorporates some of Rigol’s latest developed technologies and includes RIGOL’s self-developed ASIC chipset “Phoenix” into it. The introduction of the MSO/DS7000 series oscilloscope will make it the first time for a Chinese enterprise to launch its own developed ASIC chip on its product, which is of great strategic significance in the global electronic test and measurement instrument industry.

MSO7000/DS7000 series is a multifunctional and high-performance digital oscilloscope designed on the basis of the UltraVision II technology developed by RIGOL. With bandwidths of 100 MHz to 500 MHz (bandwidth upgrade), sample rates up to 10 GS/s and with 4 analog and 16 digital channels, the MSO/DS7000 series is fit for many application areas. With a waveform capture rate of up to 600,000 waveforms/s, users can capture, display and evaluate fast signal sequences based on the new UltraVison II Chip Set technology for fastest analysis (decoding).

MSO7000/DS7000 series integrates 7 independent instruments into one and is equipped with super high sample bandwidth ratio, extremely high memory depth, clear display, excellent waveform capture rate, and robust data analysis functions. The 7000 series oscilloscopes incorporate a large 10.1″ touch-color display which helps in providing better and clear signal representation. The 10.1-inch capacitive multi-touch screen supports various touch gestures. The touch gestures such as “tap,” “Pinch & Stretch,” “Drag,” and “Rectangle Drawing” make you find the measurement operation more smooth, convenient, and easy to learn.

MSO/DS7000 series digital oscilloscope adopts RIGOL’s self-developed chipset “Phoenix”, which gain the data acquisition capability of up to 10 GSa/s sample rate, realizing the high integration of all the function modules required for the analog front-end (AFE), and significantly improving the consistency and reliability of the digital oscilloscope. The 1M ohms path digital input attenuator can switch the scale rapidly and quietly. The unique circuit design can shorten the overload recovery time of the 1M ohm – mode to 0.5% of that of the existing products.

The integrated 7 in 1 instruments in the MSO/DS7000 series oscilloscope are made up of the following:

Oscilloscope –
- Four bandwidth models: 500 MHz, 350 MHz, 200 MHz, and 100 MHz; with the bandwidth upgradeable
- Up to 10 GSa/s real-time sample rate per channel 4 analog channels and 1 EXT channel
- Up to 500 Mpts memory depth (option)
- Maximum waveform capture rate of 600,000 wfms/s
- 500 MHz passive voltage probe for each channel (standard)
Logic Analyzer –
- Standard configuration of 16 digital channels and 1 RPL2316 logic analyzer probe for the MSO model
- 62.5 Mpts memory depth for the waveforms of all the digital channels
- Up to 1.25 GSa/s sample rate
- Hardware real-time waveform recording and playback functions supported
- Mixed (analog channel and digital channel) trigger and decode supported
- Convenient digital channel grouping and group operation
Spectrum Analyzer
- Standard configuration of enhanced FFT, real-time operation for max.
- 1 Mpts waveform data
- Max. frequency range: oscilloscope analog bandwidth
- Up to 4 groups of operations can be displayed at the same time
- Independent FFT color persistence view supported
- Up to 15 peaks available for the peak search function; event table available to be exported
Waveform Generator
- Standard configuration of 2 waveforms output channels for the hardware of MSO model and only AWG option is required to be ordered
- 13 pre-defined waveforms
- Up to 25 MHz frequency
- Up to 200 MSa/s sample rate
- Advanced modulation, sweep, and burst signal output supported
Protocol Analyzer
- Support RS232/UART, I2C, SPI, CAN, LIN, I2S, FlexRay, and MIL-STD-1553 serial bus
- Support the protocol trigger and decoding for the analog channel and the digital channel
- RS232/UART, I2C, and SPI protocols support the waveform search function
- Capable of working with the waveform recording, pass/fail test, and zone trigger
Digital Voltmeter –
- 3-digit DC/AC RMS/AC+DC RMS voltage measurement
- Sound an alarm for reaching or exceeding the limits
- Display the latest measurement results in the form of a diagram, and display the extrema over the last 3 seconds
Frequency Counter and Totalizer
- Optional 3 to a 6-digit high-precision frequency counter
- Support the statistics on the maximum and minimum values of the frequency
- 48-bit totalizer (standard)

The DS7000 brings advanced analysis and visualizations capabilities to embedded design, power analysis, serial decode and multi-domain applications. It provides various interfaces including USB host, USB device, LAN(LXI), HDMI, USB-GPIB, and USB mouse support are also offered. The MSO7000/DS7000 series starts from $2,699 to $11,299. More information about the product is available on the product page.

BUK9J0R9-40H – A Super Junction MOSFET with Low On-State Resistance

Posted on 26 June, 201828 June, 2018 by Ayo Ayibiowu

A MOSFET known as a metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect transistor is a special type of field-effect transistor which has an insulated gate where in this case the voltage determines the conductivity of the device. Just like conventional transistors, they are also used for switching and amplifying signals.

MOSFETs are now more commonly used in digital and analog circuits than BJTs (bipolar junction transistors) mostly because of their power efficiency. MOSFET’s are power efficient because the output is controlled by an input voltage instead of an input current. Electronics today are gearing towards low-power usage and MOSFETs seems to offer that over the BJTs.

There are several types of MOSFETS, and Super-Junction MOSFETs is a type of power transistor that is becoming mainstream lately. They are well-suited for high-speed operation at lower to immediate power levels as compared to IGBTs or the SiC-MOSFETs as shown in the graph below.

After the first super-junction MOSFETs was introduced commercially by Siemens in Germany (1999), super-junction MOSFETs in recent years are becoming the leading representative of MOSFETs for high voltages.

Nexperia, a global leader in Discrete, Logic and MOSFETs devices have introduced an automotive-focused super-junction MOSFETs in an electrically and thermally efficient LFPAK56E package called the BUK9J0R9-40H.

The Nexperia LFPAK56 package provides a genuine alternative to DPAK and D2PAK solutions. It will allow a considerable amount of space to be saved as compared to traditional D2PAK and DPAK solutions and offers designers flexibility and reliability without compromising thermal performance.

The BUK9J0R9-40H features low RDS (on) of just 0.9 mΩ and can handle a maximum load current of 220 A at 40 V for applications switching up to 1.2 kW power, providing a cost and power efficient solution. The low RDS (on) and maximum current rating of 220 A of this newly launched MOSFETs seems to be the highest ever achieved in a power-S08 footprint device for use in the automotive sector.

The BUK9J0R9-40H is simply an N-channel 40 V, 0.9 mΩ logic level MOSFET in an LFPAK56E package. Just like every other super-junction MOSFET, the MOSFETs can also be operated in parallel for higher current applications.

Below are some of the super junction MOSFETs featuers:

Fully automotive qualified to AEC-Q101:
- 175 °C rating suitable for thermally demanding environments
Trench 9 Superjunction technology:
- Reduced cell pitch enables enhanced power density and efficiency with lower R_DSon in the same footprint
- Improved SOA and avalanche capability compared to standard TrenchMOS
- Tight V_GS(th) limits allow easy paralleling of MOSFETs
LFPAK Gull Wing leads:
- High Board Level Reliability absorbing mechanical stress during thermal cycling, unlike traditional QFN packages
- Visual (AOI) soldering inspection, no need for expensive x-ray equipment
- Easy solder wetting for good mechanical solder joint
LFPAK copper clip technology:
- Improved reliability, with reduced R_th and R_DSon
- Increases maximum current capability and improved current spreading

The BUK9J0R9-40H will easily find applications in 12V automotive systems, high-performance power switching circuitry, transmission control system, inductive load controls like pumps, motors, and others, reverse polarity protection and DC/DC switching converters.

More information about the super junction MOSFETs can be found on the product page, and the product datasheet can be download here.

ICNexus’s SBC3100 Runs Linux On Rockchip RK3399 SoC

Posted on 26 June, 2018 by Rik

Taiwan-based ICNexus’ latest entry with Rockchip RK3399 SoC, SBC3100 joins the growing list of high-end SBCs. It features the high-end SoC to provide an extensive feature list. However, it is not publicly priced and appears to be a proprietary product, such as Aaeon’s Pico-ITX based RICO-3399.

ICNexus announced the SBC3100 back in 2017, the SBC3100 was showcased at last week’s Computex show in Taipei. The board ships with Ubuntu and Android images, and is designed for applications including digital signage, POS, gaming, STBs, kiosks and other smart devices.

Despite the high-end features, not much stands out from the other equally powerful RK3399 contender SBCs, except for its wide-range 9-36V DC input and its optional add-on modules. The board can be equipped with an HDMI input, an LVDS touchscreen interface, and a 4-port serial add-on.

The board comes with up to 4GB DDR3 and 16GB flash (presumably eMMC). Media ports accommodate HDMI 2.0, eDP, and DP (via USB Type-C). There are up to 2x MIPI-DSI or -CSI, but not 2x of both, and there’s also a separate camera port and I2C touch interface. There’s a GbE port plus optional WiFi/BT module, and the mini-PCIe slot (with micro-SIM) supports optional 3G or 4G modules.

The SBC3100 provides 4x USB ports, 2x of them are 3.0, plus the Type-C port and additional USB headers. Other features include GPIO, serial debug, IR, I2C, and optional sensors.

Specifications list for the SBC3100:

Processor:
- Rockchip RK3399 (2x Cortex-A72 at up to 2.0GHz, 4x Cortex-A53);
- Mali-T860 GPU
Memory :
- 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB DDR3 RAM
- 8GB or 16GB flash
- MicroSD slot
Display/camera:
- HDMI 2.0 out port at up to 4Kx2K@60fps
- DisplayPort 1.2 at up to 4Kx2K@60fps (via USB Type-C)
- eDP 1.3 at up to 2560×1600@60fps
- 1x or 2x MIPI-DSI at up to 2560×1600 at 60fps with optional MIPI/LVDS touchscreen module
- 1x or 2x MIPI-CSI with optional HDMI input module
- Camera port
- An i2c-based capacitive touch interface
Audio: mic/earphone connector; 2x speaker connectors
Wireless:
- Optional 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0
- Optional 3G or LTE modules for mini-PCIe slot
- Micro-SIM card slot
Networking: Gigabit Ethernet port
Other I/O:
- 4x USB 3.0 host (2x ports, 2x headers)
- 3x USB 2.0 host (2x ports, 1x header)
- USB 3.0 Type-C port with DP support
- Serial console debug
- Optional serial module with 4x RS232/422/485 DB9 ports
- 8-bit GPIO
- I2C master
- Keypad interface
Expansion: Mini-PCIe slot with 3G/LTE support
Other features: IR receiver; buzzer; heatsink; optional 3-axis accelerometer; optional gyro/G-Sensor (only on 4GB RAM model)
Power: 9-36V DC input; 3/5/12V DC output; power and reset buttons
Dimensions:150 x 102 x 2.6mm
OS Support: Pre-installed Ubuntu or Android

No pricing information is provided for the SBC3100, but it appears to be available. More information may be found on the ICNexus SBC3100 product page.

Kontron’s Kaby Lake Embedded PC KBox B-201 Runs Linux And Windows 10

Posted on 26 June, 2018 by Rik

Kontron’s new KBox B-201 embedded PC runs Yocto-based Linux or Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB. This compact PC is powered by 7th Gen Intel Core “Kaby Lake” processors. The main highlighted features of this rugged system are its compact, 190 x 190 x 60mm, 2 kg footprint, its “silent” (less than 34 dB) fan, and its multiple storage and mounting options. This Mini-ITX based computer is designed for image processing, plant data collection, as well as Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) in the automation pyramid.

The KBox B-201 can be powered by the quad-core, 3.6GHz Core i7-7700 or 3.4GHz Core i5-7500, both with 65W TDP as well as the dual-core, 3.9GHz Core i3-7101E with 54W TDP. They all ship with Intel HD Graphics 630 and an Intel Q170 Express chipset. 6th Gen “Skylake” Core chips are available on request.

The KBox B-201 can support up to 32GB DDR4-2400 RAM and store data via max three SATA III connections. There’s a 2.5-inch SSD bay, which is user accessible from the bottom of the unit, as well as an M.2 2242 slot. A half- or full-size mSATA connection is optional. Dual GbE ports are on board along with a mini-PCIe slot for wireless and peripheral expansion. Up to three displays are supported via dual DisplayPort 1.2 ports and a single DVI-D port.

The KBox B-201 is provided with 6x USB 3.0 ports, with 2x front-facing, as well as 4x USB 2.0 ports. There is also an RS232 serial port, audio I/O, and PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports. TPM V2.0 is available along with optional Kontron Approtect security solution built around a Wibu-Systems security chip.

KBox B-201 rear view in vertical position

Supported temperature range is 0 to 45°C. The system offers extensive rugged exterior. Manufactured with “continuously hot-dip zinc coated mild steel sheet” per EN10215 guidelines, the computer offers vibration resistance of 5-500 Hz, 1G acc. (per IEC 60068-2-6) and shock resistance of half sine, 15g, 11ms acc. (per IEC 60068-2-27). Altitude and humidity endurance are also notable.

The KBox B-201 ships with a 90 to 264 VAC external power supply. The system can be mounted vertically on a supplied stand or can be fixed directly behind a monitor using optional VESA mounting.

No pricing or ship date was provided for the KBox B-201. More information may be found in Kontron’s KBox B-201 announcement and product page.

DFI’s Apollo Lake Based AL551 SBC Runs Ubuntu And Windows 10

Posted on 26 June, 2018 by Rik

DFI or Diamond Flower Inc., a Taiwan based motherboard manufacturer is preparing to release an Ubuntu friendly 3.5-inch SBC “AL551” with an Apollo Lake SoC. It’s going to support Ubuntu 16.04, as well as Windows 10. We have already talked about PICO316, another “Apollo Lake” based SBC that runs both Linux and Windows 10.

The AL551 supports all of Intel’s Apollo Lake SoCs. Most notably the Intel Atom® Processor E3900 Series is supported. The 146 x 102mm SBC is equipped with up to 8GB DDR3L and offers a SATA III interface with power, with the option for a second SATA device if the available M.2 slot is populated. There’s also a mini-PCIe slot and an optional “extension I/O” connector. The AL551 also comes with one or two GbE ports.

Triple displays are supported via a VGA port, a 4K-ready DisplayPort++, and dual-channel LVDS with LCD panel and inverter support. The SBC is provided with 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, and two more USB 2.0 headers, and if you’re planning to run Ubuntu, you can optionally order a USB Type-C port. There’s also a pair of 2x RS232/422/485 headers, audio I/O, DIO, SMBus, a watchdog, and optional TPM.

Specifications for the AL551:

Processor: Intel “Apollo Lake” with Intel Gen9 (18 EU) graphics:
- Atom x7-E3950 (4x cores @ 1.6/2.0GHz. 12W TDP)
- Atom x5-E3940 (4x cores @ 1.6/1.8GHz. 9.5W TDP)
- Atom x5-E3930 (4x cores @ 1.3/1.8GHz. 6.5W TDP)
- Pentium N4200 (4x cores @ 1.1/2.5GHz, 6W TDP)
- Celeron N3350 (2x cores @ 1.1/2.4GHz, 6W TDP)
Memory: Up to 8GB DDR3L-1866 via 1x SODIMM
Storage: SATA III (6Gbps); SATA power; 2nd SATA III optional via M.2 B-key 2242 slot;
Display: DisplayPort++ at up to 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz
- VGA port at up to 2048 x 1536 @ 50Hz
- 2x 48-bit dual-channel LVDS at up to 1920 x 1200 @ 60Hz
- LVDS LCD panel connector and LCD/inverter power
- Triple display support
Networking: 1x or 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports
Other I/O:
- 2x USB 3.0 ports
- 2x USB 2.0 ports
- 2x USB 2.0 headers
- Optional USB Type-C OTG port (available on request for Linux only)
- 2x RS232/422/485 headers
- Realtek ALC262 audio I/O headers
- Optional speaker out (for 2x 3W speakers) on request
- 8-bit DIO, SMBus
Expansion:
- Full-size mini-PCIe slot (USB/PCIe)
- M.2 B-key 2242 slot (PCIe/USB 2.0/SATA 3.0)
Other features: Watchdog; optional TPM 2.0 on request; heat sink; optional heat spreader; optional cables
Power: Right-angle 12V DC 4-pin (DC jack or vert. 4-pin on request); Lithium 3V 210mAh battery
Operating temperatures: 0 to 60°C (optional -20 to 70°C or -40 to 85°C for Atom x7-E3950)
Dimensions: 146 x 102 x 1.6mm (“3.5-inch form factor”)
Operating system: Ubuntu 16.04; Windows 10

No pricing or availability information is provided for the upcoming AL551. More information may be found on DFI’s official AL551 product page.

15% off when you spend over £200 with @Rapidonline at @oemsecrets

Posted on 26 June, 201826 June, 2018 by mixos

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